The Future is Now with Nike

Move over Marty McFly. Nike's "Back to the Future" self-tying shoes are finally a reality.

When you step into the new HyperAdapt 1.0 shoes “your heel will hit a sensor and the system will automatically tighten,” explains Tiffany Beers, Senior Innovator, NIKE, Inc., and the project’s technical lead. “Then there are two buttons on the side to tighten and loosen. You can adjust it until it’s perfect.”

While Beers engineered the product itself, Tinker Hatfield created the idea to meet athletic demand in getting shoes to a more “sophisticated place”.

“Wouldn’t it be great if a shoe, in the future, could sense when you needed to have it tighter or looser? Could it take you even tighter than you’d normally go if it senses you really need extra snugness in a quick maneuver? That’s where we’re headed. In the future, product will come alive,” Hatfield says.

The shoes are only available, however, to members of Nike+. They are set to go on sale around the holidays.